Category Archives: The Glass of Water

The Glass of Water

A professor began his class by holding up a glass with some water in it. He held it up for all to see, and asked the students: “How much do you think this glass weighs?”
’50 ml!’….. ’100 ml!’ …..’125 ml’, guessed the students.
“I really don’t know unless I weigh it,” said the professor, “but, my question is:What would happen if I held it up like this for a few minutes?”
And he stretched out his hand, holding the glass, up over his head.
‘Nothing.’ the students said.
‘Ok, what would happen if I held it up like this for an hour?’ the professor asked.
‘Your arm would begin to ache’ said one of the student.
“You’re right, now what would happen if I held it for a day?”
“Your arm could go numb; you could have severe muscle stress and paralysis, and you may have to go to hospital.” Ventured another student, as the rest of the class laughed.
“Very good! But during all this, did the weight of the glass change?” Asked the professor.
‘No.’ was the answer.
“Then what caused the arm ache and the muscle stress?”
The students were puzzled.
“What should I do now to come out of pain?” asked professor again.
“Put the glass down!” said one of the students.
“Exactly!” said the professor.

Life’s problems are like that cup of water, each a drop in your cup.
Hold it for a few minutes in your head and they seem all right, bearable. But carry them long enough in your mind and they begin to ache, and then to injure.
Hold it even longer and they begin to paralyze you. You will not be able to do anything, to move on or solve other problems.
It’s important to think of the challenges or problems in your life, But even more important is to know that it’s ok to put them down for a while and only think of them here and there, or at the end of every day before you go to sleep.
This is the way to reduce stress, to go through your day with more energy in your veins, because the problems you carry around drag you back and slows you down. When you let yourself be more free, you can handle any issue, any challenge that comes your way.

So remember…
When you start your day today, Remember to put that glass down. It’ll be there, just where you left it, but you don’t have to carry it around all day. You really don’t.